Town of Braintree

How to Make Blue Folks See Red

How to Make Blue Folks See Red: Pick on the Boy Scouts
Not that they ever have, mind you. Says the Associated Press: ''The Pentagon said it has long had a rule against sponsorship of non-federal organizations and denied the rule had been violated. But it agreed to send a message to posts worldwide warning them not to sponsor Boy Scout troops or other such groups.''So we're still in danger. It's possible that in some distant base in a flat, empty state, some rogue officer might horribly commingle Boy Scouts and his official duties -- say, showing up in uniform to teach the Webelos the Pledge of Allegiance.

Why is this bad? Simple: The scouts make you swear an oath that mentions the Big Guy. Here's the marrow-curdling vow in its entirety, brazenly posted on a Web site they use to communicate with other cells. Ready?''On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.''Whew. Strong stuff. The God part is bad enough, but the ''morally straight'' line is the big cherry on the cake. But remember, please: The scouts are a private organization; they have the right to believe what they wish, even if you disagree.
And we're talking about the BOY SCOUTS, for heaven's sake, not some Junior Klan League noted for torchlight parades through Jewish neighborhoods. Who has the time to worry whether the scouts are meeting in the local library? Isn't there some real, actual evil handy you could sue?
Better yet: If you don't like the scouts' oath or rules, how about you drink a nice hot cup of LIVE AND LET LIVE and start your own group? Because we're about 10 years away from someone deciding that the whole Boy Scout/Girl Scout thing smacks of separate but equal. Come 2014, the kid at your door will be selling Non-Gender-Specific Scout Cookies. Oh, progress
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Since the last election we've been told that right-wing theoreticians concoct divisive social issues in secret underground labs and release them into the body politic every election cycle, clouding the minds of red-state sheep. But the Boy Scouts haven't been suing anyone for the right to hold compulsory God and country rallies in schools across the land. The American Civil Liberties Union is forcing the issue.The people barging into the courts are the ones obsessed that Boy Scouts might be using public school rooms after hours to learn knot tying. And scouts drive on public roads to get there, too. They even breathe air whose quality is mandated by federal regulations that take public money to enforce. Theocratic parasites, that's what they are. What's next? A 900-foot statue of Jesus on the Mall in Washington?This may be the face of the hard, foamy left, but it's not the view of your average Democrat. Throwing the scouts into an electrified pen that keeps them from contaminating government is not high on the list of your average Democratic concerns. Ask one. Why are you a Democrat? ''Because I believe in good jobs, health care for all, more diplomacy and strong public schools.''And you oppose the Boy Scouts, right? ''What? No. My kid's a scout.''But the ACLU has practically declared them a hate group. Got the Pentagon to promise no official connections. ''Well, I can't go for that. Mumble, mumble, Jerry Falwell, mumble, both sides have nuts, Ann Coulter, mumble.''But you'll still vote Democratic? ''Count on it, friend.''Then one day his kid's Wolf Pack gets denied a permit to hold a party in a public park. And thus do blue folks see red.






By Pick on the Boy Scouts

Veterans blast Pentagon


Veterans blast Pentagon for giving in to ACLU
Defense denies Scout support diminished despite agreement to stop sponsoring 422 troops
The nation's largest veterans organization has delivered a stern letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over an agreement with the ACLU to ensure military bases do not sponsor Boy Scout troops, but the Pentagon insists it has done nothing to diminish its support for Scouting.

Responding to news of a deal to settle an issue in a lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union, American Legion National Commander Thomas P. Cadmus wrote, ''The idea that sponsorship of Scouting by American military units is 'unconstitutional' goes beyond the absurd, even well past the point of stupidity.'' The ACLU contends the government has improperly supported a group that requires members to believe in God.

Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Joe Richard the agreement should be seen as a resolution to a narrow part of the lawsuit, which only requires the Defense Department to clarify its stated policy against sponsorship of non-federal organizations.
''We don't believe the Boy Scouts will suffer in terms of support within the military community,'' he said, noting troops still can meet in civilian venues on bases, and personnel will continue to serve in a private capacity as scoutmasters and assistants.

Nevertheless, the ACLU agreement means 422 Scouting programs will no longer be chartered, or sponsored, by the Department of Defense.
But Richard maintains other groups, such as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars are stepping in to take on the charters and keep the Scout troops on military bases.

In his letter to Rumsfeld, the American Legion's Cadmus asked, ''How is it the government can fund chapels on military bases, and chaplains in the military, but not accommodate Scouting? Why is it that the rank of Eagle Scout is an attribute highly sought in candidates for military academies, but will soon become unwelcome on military bases? How is it the Congress can sanction Scouting by issuing them a federal charter, but the courts can declare them 'outlaws?'''

Cadmus asked Rumsfeld, ''Where is the outrage?'' in Congress or the White House, noting there is plenty of anger among the 2.7 million Legion members over legal action taken against the Scouts in recent years.
In one of many cases related to its policy against avowed homosexuals in leadership, the U.S. Supreme Court in March allowed Connecticut to exclude the Boy Scouts of America from a state charitable program.
Cadmus urged Rumsfeld ''to hold the line of assault on the Scouts. Stand up to the ACLU. Find a way to give those who serve our nation the chance to serve their children


By for giving in to ACLU

Any Belief

Look what happened to Madeline Murray O'Hare...because she pushed her own beliefs onto the rest of the country.

For the most part, the ACLU steps into a dispute already existing...so someone most have started the dispute regarding the military and the Boy Scouts.

Perhaps whoever is pushing this nonsense regarding the Pentagon and the Boy Scouts will someday realize their mistakes.

And anyways, why are the Boy Scouts always getting picked on? I say leave them alone - and forget any military bases, etc., the Boy Scouts don't need them. They can find enough support elsewhere.

Any Belief

Look what happened to Madeline Murray O'Hare...because she pushed her own beliefs onto the rest of the country.

For the most part, the ACLU steps into a dispute already existing...so someone most have started the dispute regarding the military and the Boy Scouts.

Perhaps whoever is pushing this nonsense regarding the Pentagon and the Boy Scouts will someday realize their mistakes.

And anyways, why are the Boy Scouts always getting picked on? I say leave them alone - and forget any military bases, etc., the Boy Scouts don't need them. They can find enough support elsewhere.